What works?

Is it better to work somewhere where you love the work or love the people? I’ve certainly seen things from both sides. This time last year, I might have opted for the former…but now…

I’ve worked in the arts where the work was fascinating and inspiring. The problem always came into play when having to deal with humans! Don’t get me wrong, humans aren’t all bad, but, artists are a special breed of people. They have the ability to create like no other. They also have the ability to aggravate like no other! Whereas, I loved being around beautiful works of art everyday and being immerse in creativity, I found myself running screaming from there more days than not. Even though I was more than excited to leave there every evening, it didn’t stop me from returning the next morning. I suppose I felt like the people weren’t bad enough to overshadow everything else.

Now I find myself in a very different place. I am somewhere where the work is terrible by no means, but the people are amazing! Yes, real-life amazing humans! Now, I realize what you’re thinking. I could just be saying all of this because their eyes are watching. The thing is, I hang out with them outside of work hours. I’ve never found myself in this position, I know, I know….insane right?! Maybe just a little! Take this coming weekend for example, there are a group of us venturing 5 hours away from home to go to Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. No one is forcing us. No one has made threats of bodily harm to get us to comply. We’re going…on our own…and we’re thrilled about it! The best part is that this adventure is going to make our work week that much better next week.

The bottom line is now that I have seen both sides and I choose the people over the work. If you have great people around you, it tends to make you a little greater. It also makes day-to-day things a little easier. Sure, the saying is, “If you find something you love doing, you‘ll never work a day in your life”, but how many things can you do successfully where other people aren’t involved in some aspect? It’s cool…I’ll wait!